TBILISI, October 8 – Georgia’s Interior Ministry announced on Wednesday that 12 additional people have been arrested in connection with the October 4 unrest in Tbilisi, bringing the total number of detainees to 35.
Deputy Interior Minister Aleksandre Darakhvelidze said at a briefing that the new arrests followed “intensive investigative and search operations.” The detainees are accused of joining protest organizers in breaking through the fence around the presidential residence on Atoneli Street and attempting to enter the building.
“Based on the evidence obtained so far, the arrested individuals, along with the organizers, damaged the barriers of the president’s residence and tried to storm the palace,” Darakhvelidze said.
According to the Interior Ministry, those detained include both rally organizers and participants accused of engaging in “illegal and violent acts.” The investigation is being conducted under Articles 187, 222, 225, and 317 of Georgia’s Criminal Code, which cover property damage, unlawful seizure of strategic facilities, organizing group violence, and incitement to overthrow the constitutional order.
The October 4 rally, in the evening of election day for the municipal elections, initially announced by parts of the opposition as a “peaceful revolution,” turned violent when demonstrators clashed with police near the president’s residence. The government has described the events as an attempted coup, while opposition figures insist they were leading a non-violent protest that was disrupted by excessive police force.
In total, 35 people have now been detained, including the five alleged organizers of the rally, among them opera singer Paata Burchuladze and former chief prosecutor Murtaz Zodelava. Three additional suspects remain at large, according to police.
